title: Challenges at the Bedside With ECMO and VAD.
abstract: Patients on circulatory support can be the source of multiple challenges including optimizing the circuit for specific congenital heart lesions, troubleshooting circuit failures, transporting patients on the circuit, anticoagulation and bleeding, transitioning to more mobile ventricular assist device, listing for thoracic organ transplantation, weaning from the circuit, and educating the patient and family about mechanical support. These challenges ideally require a specialized multidisciplinary team, which includes anesthesiologists, child life specialists, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specialists, intensivists, nurses, nutritionists, perfusionists, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, social workers, and surgeons.
authors.affiliation: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Connelly
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seelhorst
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Beaty
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McDonough
authors.forename: Susan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Nicolson
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tabbutt
keywords: BVAD; ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation); RVAD; TAH); circulatory assist devices (LVAD; circulatory assistance; pediatric